Famous Enid Blyton Fans

[pete9012S]

How many famous people have 'come out' and declared their love of Enid Blyton?
How many famous fans does she have that you know about?

Here's one to start us off..

1.Michel Roux Jr
http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/ ... el-Roux-Jr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

2.

3.

[Daisy]

I believe Tim Rice came to an Enid Blyton Society day some years ago.

[pete9012S]

Thanks Daisy.
There was an episode of 'Through The Keyhole' some years ago with Lloyd Grossman.
They visited the house of a famous retired cricketer and I noticed with interest he had a complete set of pristine dust jacketed Famous Fives in his living room bookcase.

I don't think it was Ian Botham or Geoff Boycott,but it was someone from that sort of era.
Does anyone remember who it was?

[Anita Bensoussane]

Interesting that Michel Roux Jr. particularly liked the Secret Seven series.

I believe Tim Rice came to an Enid Blyton Society day some years ago.

Yes, he came to support his daughter Eva Rice who was bringing out a new edition of her book, Who's Who in Enid Blyton. I remember him saying that he loved Enid Blyton's St. Clare's series as a boy - much to his parents' embarrassment, who tried in vain to persuade him to read stories about boys' schools such as the Jennings books by Anthony Buckeridge.

When asked in 2012 to name his favourite children's book, Hugh Grant picked The Naughtiest Girl in the School by Enid Blyton.

Elizabeth Hurley is also an Enid Blyton fan and still reads Blyton books from time to time as an adult, for enjoyment and comfort.

Last year I bought a short biography of Michelle Magorian (in Mammoth's "Telling Tales" series). It reads like an interview. Michelle Magorian says that her favourite authors when she was a child were Enid Blyton and Arthur Ransome. When asked "Which book, either children's or adult, has influenced your life?" she replies, "So many books have influenced my life; Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, Six Bad Boys by Enid Blyton and Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons."

Kate Winslet, James Herbert and Jackie Collins have also spoken of their love of Enid Blyton, and it's well-known that Jacqueline Wilson liked some of Blyton's books but longed for more realism.

[John Pickup]

Interesting to see that Michel Roux learnt to always carry a handkerchief through reading Enid's books. That is something I always do. Wasn't the cricketer David Gower?

[Maggie Knows]

I recall lividly Simon Barnes in 2005 structuring one of his eloquent Ashes cricket articles using the imagery of "A lovely day with a horrid end". He acknowledged the Famous Five, but didn't say which book it was taken from.

[Tony Summerfield]

I can name all the famous people that have at some stage belonged to the Society and had the Journal - none!!

[Jack400]

Never mind, Tony - I expect that some of us live in hope.

[Daisy]

Is Gyles Brandreth another one?

[Chrissie777]

How about the author of Harry Potter?

[Ming]

Famous Enid Blyton fans?

Me.

I think Australian writer Kate Morton might be one - I've come across Enid Blyton mentions several times in her novels.

[Courtenay]

Famous Enid Blyton fans?

Me.

I have to admit I haven't heard of Kate Morton, mind you!

My parents are both Enid Blyton fans, and they're famous enough as far as I'm concerned. Certainly they were jointly responsible for my own early and ongoing love of Enid!!

Back to "real" famous fans, I'm sure there must be many more recent children's authors who were at least partly inspired by reading Enid at a young age. Perhaps they just don't admit it for fear of being ridiculed.

[John Pickup]

Helen Moss, the author of the Adventure Island books, must surely have been inspired by Enid, judging by the plotlines.

[Rob Houghton]

I have to admit I haven't heard of Kate Morton, mind you!

Really? I've read a couple of her books. Her first one, 'The House At Riverton' was a great read!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1278 ... t_Riverton

[Daisy]

The only Riverton I have heard of is one of the John and Mary titles - "John and Mary at Riverton" It's years since I read any.